Colombo's - Balwyn - review

Name: Colombo's

Address: 250 Whitehorse Rd
Balwyn 
(03) 9836 6442
 
Food: Italian, Take away, Fast food

Average price: $7-$32 for dine in.

Complimentary: Nothing.

We ordered:
Main: Mushroom pizza
Tomato, cheese, onions, garlic,  mushroom, oregano

This was average. The base was slightly doughy and overall the flavours muted (mushrooms were as tasty as cardboard). After being spoilt with all of the gourmet pizza joints around the standard pizza is no longer satisfactory. Better than Pizza Hut but not Crust/Pizza Capers etc.

BBQ pork ribs with salad

Mr.M: I could only eat half of the ribs as they were horrible. The meat was gooey and the salad tasted old. The fact that this was almost $30 is ridiculous.

Dessert: Chocolate mousse

Supposedly homemade but this tasted like every other pizza places packet mousse - more about the cream and sugar than any real chocolate flavour. On a positive note the serving size was generous.

Service: OK. The food came out quickly but the waiters were barely seen even though they were all very friendly, no checking up on whether we liked it and you pour your water yourself. That said they were happy to box up any leftovers for us.

Atmosphere: Family budget. The atmosphere is pretty much the same as other restaurants of its ilk - think La Porchetta or Sofia's. In this particular branch the floors are tiled with wooden tables and chairs as well as an entire wall of sports memorabilia. The noise level depends on the number of patrons, at full capacity my guess is it would be quite loud.

Parking: Ample street parking as well as a Safeway car park across the road.

Website: www.colombos.com.au

Hours: Mon-Sun 11am-late

Would I return: Only if desperate, there are better lower budget fast food/dine in places out there.

il Sogno - Surrey Hills - review

Name: Il Sogno

Address: 512 Whitehorse Rd
Surrey Hills 3127 VIC
(03) 9830 1052

Food: Italian

Average price: Entree: $9-$17.90, Mains: $18-$32, Dessert: $10

Complimentary:  Nothing.

We ordered:  Entree: Bruschetta with roasted peppers & bocconcini - $12

This was plain; too simple, it needed something to balance the acidity of peppers, something to give it a flavour punch.

Pork & pistachio terrine, with wild figs & vincotto - $16.90

Mr.M: Fairly nice.

Main: Risotto with asparagus, peas, broccoli & zucchini with truffle oil - $26

The rice was extremely mushy and watery; it tasted almost exactly like what my mother used to cook up for our dogs (rice cooked in stock with diced veg). It wasn't creamy or al dente, it basically just tasted like stock, rice and bland veg. I barely ate any of it.

Tortellini veal with crushed peas & ricotta - $27

Mr.M: the pasta wasn't cooked around the edges and was quite thick, I didn't like this a whole lot.

Dessert: Lavender infused panna cotta with blueberries - $12

When you arrive you are given the spiel on how this restaurant is all about 'freshly made' and 'seasonal produce', so I'm not sure exactly how blueberries are seasonal in the middle of Winter (they also have peaches on the dessert menu too)...
The questionable seasonality aside the lavender flavour was gorgeous and paired well with blueberries. The panna cotta was touch soft texture wise but otherwise nice. I felt the dish needed something else though, maybe something with some crunch or more blueberries as the lavender panna cotta dominated.

Chocolate & hazelnut semifreddo - $13

Mr.M: I really liked this even though I needed a knife to cut through it.

Even though hubby liked it, to me this tasted exactly like those chocolate mousses you get from pizza places, but frozen. And frozen so solid that Mr.M had to request a knife just to be able to break a chunk off. The semifreddo tasted predominantly of cream/milk and sugar, with a hint of chocolate and hazelnut. And as mentioned it was hard to gauge the texture seeing as though it was frozen solid.

Service: OK. The service seemed a little scattered with most of the waiters hanging around a table of 8 joining in on their conversation. The food came out fairly quickly though and our water was kept topped up.

Atmosphere: Sleepy. Despite being told we only had one hour to eat on a Friday night the restaurant was only 30% filled and when we left was still the same. The restaurant patrons seemed to be predominantly older and dining in large parties. Most were regulars as the waiters sat around with them chatting whilst they ate. The decor is neutral with wooden tables covered in white linen and painted taupe wood panelling on the walls with framed coloured photographs of Italy and some hanging copper pots as decoration. The seats at the front windows will feel a huge draught whenever someone opens the door.

Parking: Ample. Plenty of street parking.

Website: http://www.ilsogno.com.au/

Hours: Thu-Fri noon-3pm
Tue-Sun 5pm-10pm

Would I return: No. The food was no better than what I cook at home and the pricing a little expensive for the quality you are getting.

Snow Pony - Balwyn - review

Name: Snow Pony

Address:
95 Whitehorse Rd
Balwyn 3103 VIC

Phone: (03) 9816 8911

Food: ModOz, Cafe, Organic
Average price: $4.90-$19.90

Complimentary:  Iced clockface cookies with our bill.

We ordered: Lemonade scones with bon maman jam & Chantilly cream - $3.50

A enjoyed this (served with raspberry jam this time) but didn't like the fact that the jam was served in one large jar rather than individual portion sizes. She was put off by the fact that another patron might have doubled dipped before her.

Spanish potato tortilla with manchego

This was average. The potatoes were cooked through but the dish was hot and cold, perhaps from being reheated rather than being made to order. It was also bland in terms of the flavour profile, I was tempted to add salt to pick it up a bit.

Hopkins River Eye fillet steak sandwich, beetroot & blood orange relish, caramel onions, bacon, roast tomato, aged Maffra farmhouse cheddar & a poached gooey egg - $21.9

Both S and Mr.M enjoyed this as much as they had previously. Still the best dish on the menu according to them.

Service: OK. When we arrived on a Saturday morning we were told a table would be ready in about 15mins, unfortunately that 15mins turned into 45mins, and when you are 8months pregnant standing on the sidewalk on a 7degree Celsius wintry morning it's a little too long when you only expected to be waiting 15mins. After being seated and ordering the food still took a while to come out as they were at full capacity, we also had to ask after the brownie which they seemed to have forgotten, so after hoping to eat breakfast at 11am we ended up eating at 12:30, by which point we were grumpy and hungry.

Atmosphere: A touch cramped. There are tons of chairs in front, inside and out the back. Mostly dark, neutral colours. The noise level gets really loud when full and if seated at the front you are subject to cold draughts whenever the door is opened.

Parking: Ample - large amount of street parking, not a super busy area.

Website: http://www.snowpony.com.au/

Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-4pm
Sat-Sun 8.30am-4pm

Would I return: No - the waits are too long for breakfast.

Attica - Ripponlea - review

Name: Attica

Address: 74 Glen Eira Rd
Ripponlea 3185 VIC
Phone: (03) 9530 0111

Food: ModOz,
Average price: Degustation menu: 5 courses, $120, 8 courses: $160, $270 with matched beverage

Complimentary: Bread with cultured butter & olive oil emulsion with volcanic salt

The bread was absolutely delicious. All four of us couldn't help ourselves from asking for more. Most enjoyed the cultured butter but I preferred the slightly tangy oil emulsion.

Mr.M: bread was fantastic

Silken tofu

I can't quite remember what was in these appetisers but they were quite bland and unmemorable.

White chocolate eggs with caramel

Modelled on pekeko eggs these little morsels were filled with a gorgeous salted caramel that went wonderfully with the white chocolate. Yum.

We ordered: Textured cauliflower with horseradish

Delicious and complex. I can't recall the sequence in which everything revealed itself but the strongest contenders were the horseradish with its peppery bite, the calming, exotic coconut and the sharp tang of the crimson barberries. This dish is fun. It also contained puffed wild rice.

Snow Crab

Same as above but with crab instead of cauliflower.

Mr.M: a complex mixture of flavours...so many flavours that sometimes you are unsure if you like the dish or now. Jury is out on this one.

Cress stems, cucumber, pumpkin seeds

This was delicious. I loved the sweetness of the leeks and pear with the salty cucumber and samphire. The seeds added a nice crunch.

Marron, leek, egg yolk

Mr.M: best dish of the night. You would expect the marron to be a cold fish like texture when you sink your teeth into it. This dish was warm, and maybe is because I was expecting not to like the dish...but it made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Everything goes together perfectly, and everyone on the table with this dish loved it

A simple dish of potato cooked in the earth it was grown

The potato, which is sightly sweet and butter was tender but still firm - perfectly cooked. The smoked goat's cheese with coconut husk ash gave a wonderful tangy, smoky element to compliment the potatoes starchy creaminess. The crunchy fried saltbush leaves also worked well.

Mr.M: I've had this dish a couple of times and out of all the dishes it was my least favourite. I seem to be the only person that doesn't think its a great dish so there is probably something wrong with my taste buds

Shiitake broth, sea vegetables, osmanthus

Lovely Asian flavours.

Shiitakes & meat from the Pearl Oyster

Mr.M: great dish. Once again, lots of flavours that went together really well. Almost licked the plate clean.

Raw chestnuts, salt baked celeriac, Pyengana

Fantastic dish; it was salty but excellent. The chestnuts added a soft sweetness along with the nutty celeriac to balance the sharp cheese and rich egg yolk. Everyone loved it.

Mr.M: Another table favourite. Very warm inviting plate.

Beef tongue, vanilla, myrtus, lettuce stems

One diner wasn't keen on beef tongue so they substituted a 5+ Waygu rump for her.

Mr.M: the main meat dish of the night was served about 3 hours in, by this time everyone was pretty full. However this dish was 'light' on filling your stomach but potent on flavour

Wild mushrooms, mulled wine, pearl onions

This was my least favourite dish of the night. The wine sauce was too strong for me.

Winter apples

The vine leaves were soaked in juices (I believe one of which was beet?) and went well with the apples soaked in granny smith apple juice. Overall the flavours are tart and sharp. I enjoyed it.

Mr.M: loved it.

Mandarin & honeydew honey

The caramelised Sauternes cream was delicious and despite the mandarins (both fresh and freeze dried) being very acidic I enjoyed them. What felt out of balance to me was perhaps the honey? There was a strong herbal like element (more akin to a tree like eucalyptus or tea tree) that was really strong and overpowered the other flavours.

Mr.M:  liked it.

Violet crumble

Mr.M loved this dish so much he asked if it were possible to make one up, luckily for him it was. The flavours of the violet fromage frais and crystallised flowers to the chocolate dust, house honeycomb crumble and butterscotch syrup are delicious, although I still feel that a creamier ice cream, rather than tangy, would work better.

Mr.M: I've had this dish before but it was taken off the ever evolving menu. We asked the Chef is he would make it again and he did. A personal favourite of mine!

Service: OK. Whilst the waiters were great the kitchen was really behind and we didn't receive the first appetiser until at least 45mins in. In total, despite us scoffing down our food really quickly, our last dish wasn't served until after 1am (we had an 8:30pm seating). We were all quite tired by the end and a few of us chose to take the eggs home as we had passed the eating stage and just wanted to sleep.

Atmosphere: Mellow. The lighting is definitely dark, with the overall room decorated in dark, woody hues. The noise level isn't very loud and the tables are spaced apart well. It has a stylish casual feel. There was also a lovely view into the courtyard, I would recommend being seated in this area rather than the front.

Parking: Ample - the main street doesn't get much traffic after hours.

Website: http://www.attica.com.au/

Hours: Tues-Sat: 6pm til late

Would I return: Yes, this was the best food experience here yet with almost all of the dishes being fantastic. Hopefully next time the service won't be as slow.


Mr.M: Attica has definitely undergone some changes in the last time we visited. Last time I was at Attica I loved the creativity of the food, but that didn't necessarily translate to me enjoying the dish. Upon arriving we looked at the menu, and noticed that the price was up for the 8 course to $160, making it probably in the top 5 most expensive places in Melbourne. "It better be worth it" I thought in my head. Well, it was. The service was a little slow to get going  (Attica seems to  be known for this), however the place is very relaxed and  the waiters where extremely knowledgeable without being snobby (like many other 2~3 chefs hat restaurants we have been to). Attica proves that Winter food does not have to be boring! We will be back again!

Estivo - Kew - review

Name: Estivo

Address:
330 High St
Kew 3101 VIC
Phone: (03) 9853 1727

Food: ModOz, Italian
Average price: appetiser - $9, entrée - $18, main - $30, dessert - $13.


Complimentary:Bread with balsamic and olive oil

We ordered:
Mains: Vegetarian platter

The mushroom parmesan tart was lovely as were the mixed vegetables but I was slightly perplexed as to why the third component was a dollop of guacamole. For a main it was slightly small.

Aged angus tenderloin of beef, medley of vegetables a la Grecque, soubise sauce and rich veal glaze

Sides: Rosemary garlic potatoes

Gorgeous crunchy exterior with fluffy insides and a good sprinkling of salt.

Dessert: Chocolate fondant with raspberries and cream

For a chocolate cake, this was lovely, but a fondant it was not. There was no ooze whatsoever which was disappointing as I was expecting a fondant. The raspberries were also a little mushy and too scant to offer enough tartness to balance the heavy sweetness of the chocolate cake.

Affogato

Mr.M: Best I have had, loved the addition of Frangelico.

Service: Good. As there were no vegetarian options for either entree OR main the staff and chefs arranged something for me to eat.


Atmosphere: Smart neutral. The interior was a cool brown with neutral tones and artwork on the walls. There is downstairs and upstairs seating. There wasn't much noise at all considering the tables were almost full. The lighting was low but not too low.

Parking: Good. There is street parking along High St although it can get a little scarce on a Friday or Saturday night, but there are side streets.

Website: None.

Hours: Tue-Fri noon-3.30pm, Tue-Sat 6pm-10.30pm

Would I return: Yes. The food was decent and it is just down the road for me.